parentheses
The pair of curved marks, ( ), that enclose material set apart from the main sentence. One mark alone is a parenthesis.
Parentheses enclose supplementary material: a clarification, an aside, a definition, or a reference. The enclosed material is called a parenthetical, and the main sentence must read correctly without it. A parenthetical can sit inside a sentence, or it can stand as a complete sentence of its own, with its own capital letter and closing punctuation inside the marks. Each use of parentheses has its own entry, listed under Parentheses.
Examples
UseThe festival (held every June) draws visitors from across the state. (The sentence reads correctly without the parenthetical.)
UseSubmit the form to Human Resources (Room 210). (The parentheses enclose a reference the reader may need but the sentence does not.)
UseThe bridge reopened Friday. (Repairs took six weeks.) (The parenthetical is a complete sentence, so its period goes inside the closing parenthesis.)
AvoidThe board (approved) the budget on Tuesday. (Removing the parenthetical leaves The board the budget on Tuesday, which is not a sentence, so the verb does not belong in parentheses.)